Improvement in non-freezing water-sates



No. 65,862. PATENTED JUNE 1a, 1867.

' A; M. BAILEY.

NON-FREEZING WATER GATE.

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ALFRED M. BAILEY OF MIDDLEFIELD, CONNECTICUT.

I Letters Patent No. 65,862, dated June 18, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN non-FREEZING WATER-GATES.

TO ALL WHOM 'IT MAY CON CERN:

Be it known that I, ALFRED M. BAILEY, of Middlefield, in the county ofMiddlesex, and State of Con necticut, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Protecting from Freezing, applicable to theconnections of watervgates, hydrants, and the like, as also to theposts, piles, and other parts immersed, or partially immersed in water,where ice is liable to form; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and exact description thereof, as applied to the connectionsfor operating the sluice-gate for a canal or water-wheel.

In cold weather ice is liable to form around the operating-rod, so as toinvolve a necessity for cutting with an axe, or otherwise, to liberateit. Thenecessit y for this always troublesome operation becomes seriouswhen, as in some small manufactories, the work is to be started by boysor females; and the evil becomes very formidable when a fire occurs inthe night, and it is desired to start the machinery to operate the pumpsor the like very suddenly.

I overcome the difliculty by enclosing the operating-rod or cord in atube, open at both ends, and containing a quantity of -oil or otherliquid which is able to float on the surface of the water, and whichwill not congeal in ordinary cold weather. The tube must extendsnfliciently above the surface of the water to prevent the oil fromescaping at the top, and must descend sufiiciently to prevent the oilfloating away at the bottom under any ordinary cor.zlitions. I i Y Iwill first describe what I consider the best means of carrying out myinvention, and will afterwards designate the points which I believe tobe new. 1Thc accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure is a cross-section, representing the arrangement which I preferfor ordinary situations, where the water of the pond does not; greatlychange its level.

Figure 2 is adapted toserve in those situations where the water isliable to be drawn oil entirely or to very greatlychauge its level. i

The additional figures will be described below. I

The figures represent the novel parts, with so much of the other partsas seems necessary to indicate their relations thereto.

Referring to fig. 1, A is the gate, and ct the operating-rod. B'is thehand-wheel, by turning which the gate may be raised and lowered. Anysuitable combination of levers, or other approved mechanical device, maybe substituted for the threaded w heel B here represented] D is a tube,open at the bottom, and which may beopen at the top. It surrounds therod a as closely as may be convenient, and contains in its interior twoquarts," inore or less, of refined rock oil, or other oil which willremain fluid at very low temperatures. The superior lightness of the oiltends to hold it with its upper surface a little above the water-line;and the littlea-flin'ity of the water and oil for each other preventstheir mixing at the surface of the water. i In raising the gate the roda moves upward through the oil in the tube, and in lowering the gate-thereverse movement occurs; and if 'the operation is performed slowly, aswill usually be the case under ordinary circumstances, the oil will notbe wasted. In case the level of the water rises or sinks, the oilcorrespondingly changes its position up and down in' the tube. Only incase of the waters sinking very low will the lower surface of the oilsink so as to reach -the bottom of the tube and allow any of the oil toescape. When the surface of the water commences to freeze the oil willserve as a non-conducting stratum, and preserve the water below it fromfreezing- The ice will form and adhere to the exterior of the tube D,and will remain there without obstructing the operation of the rodwithin,

Referring to fig- 2, the operating-rod is, in this form of theapparatus, very greatly crooked, and the tube is peculiarly formed, soas still to retain the oil in case the water of the pond sinks below it.a is a straight portion of the rod, descending from the operating meansabove through a straight tube of small area, indicated by D. Below thisis a box, 0, in which the rod turns horizontally-and .then rises upward.It passes upward out of the box 0, through another small tube E, whichmay extend to any distance desired, but which, I have assumed, is short.After rising to a considerable height above this it bends againhorizontally and descends to the gate. This rod must be made thickerthan usual in order tonvoid the'evil results from its elasticity. Solong as the water is at the proper level the operation will go on asusual. When it rises the oil will rise, as before described; and when itsinks the oil will sink; but with this form of apparatus the water maysink to an indefinite extent without involving the loss of the oil. Whenthe water sinks very low the water will remain in the hoxfl and hold theoil above it in the tube'Di 'lhe construction is susceptible ef a greatmany modifications; but I believe that tia-e above will, with the aid ofthe drawings, enable any good mechanic to adapt itto the severalsituations where it is (lcsirell.' It will of course be necessary tosupport the tube D very strongly in cases where any considerable mass ofice is liable "o cling to it and depend therefroi'n as the water sinks.

v Figure 3 represents the same arrangement as fig. 2, but with the box 0more deeply immersed. It is sunlt to the bottom of the fiumc alongsideof the gate, and the connections are so crooked at the top as to balancethe tendency to side strain. I

Figure 4 represents a device for obviating altogether the difficultiesaoove suggested, due to the freezing of the ice to the exterior of thetube D.

M is a float, which may be formed of a piece of pine plank, or othercheap material, of sufficient size to amply support the tube D. Thisfloat rises and sinks, and correspondingly raises and lowers the tube D,with each change of level of the water. The freezing of the ice to theexterior of the tube D produces no effect it, in any case, the icechances to be forced upward by the force of other ice under it, orforccddownward by a load of ice or other material thrown upon it. Anydifficulty due to such cau sc iscasily avoided by simply giving the tubeD an increased length both above and-below the water surface. The tube Dand float M may be held in place by the enclosed rod a, or they maybeguided by any other convenient means auxiliary thereto. I apprehend nodifficulty, in ordinary cases, in allowing the tube D and float M to beguided by the rod a. In case the latter should be a slender wire-orcord, or in case, for any reason, it should be necessary to relieve itfrom any side strain, other means, such as brackets extending out fromthe side of the fiu'rne, should be adopted to guide the floating parts.

I propose, as above intimated, to apply a case, open at me top andbottom, corresponding to the tube 1 around the posts standing in thewater, in mill-work and in other situations, employing for the casingsheet metal or any other material insoluble in water and oil, andpossessing sufficient rigidity,

I do not claim covering the Git tiff: surface oil water with oil oranalogous fluid, to protect the entire mass from freezing; but, havingnow fully described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The within-described method of protectix'ig moving parts frontfreezing, the same consisting in enclosing the parts, at or near thewater level, within casings which contain a fluid supported by the waterand not liable to congelation, while the water outside of said casingstands at or near the same level, and is prevented by said casings fromdisplacing the same, substantially as and for the purpose-hereinspecified.

2. I claim floating either form of the enclosed tube, and connectedparts of the above-described apparatus, so that it shall rise and sinkwith the water in which it is supported, or with the ice which becomesattached thereto, substantially as herein specified. 7

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ALFRED M. BAILEY.

hVitnesses W. 0. Din, FRANK. A. HADIC-KE.

